Forget the fact that LeBron James said he always plays well at Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of basketball arenas. And ignore the remark about Brooklyn being his favorite borough. You can even throw out LeBron’s friendship with Jay-Z, part-owner of the Nets.
Yes, LeBron would love to play in a big market come 2010 – he is expected to opt out of his $17 million player option for the 2010-11 season – but his decision is going to come down to two things. The first will be which team can give him a max contract. The second, and most important item, is which team will give him the best chance of winning multiple NBA championships. Yeah, Bron-Bron loves the spotlight, but he’s also driven to win, as was evident in the Cavs’ last two playoff runs.
Both the Knicks and soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets are working to create the cap space to provide LeBron with a max deal by the time he enters free agency. But only one New York team will have a realistic shot at doing so. Just …

The last 48 hours for the New Jersey Nets have been both hectic and gratifying. Before last night’s NBA Draft, the Nets traded Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. While both Yi and Simmons have talent, this trade was done to free up salary cap space for when Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh become free agents in a couple years. 

In last night’s draft, the Nets did a fantastic job in putting together a winning team around a future superstar. With the 10th pick overall, many suspected the Nets to draft the likes of Texas A & M Center Deandre Jordan (who was drafted 35th by the  Elgin “Wait.. there’s a draft tonight”? Baylor and the LA Clippers) or Louisiana State Forward Anthony Randolph (14th by the Golden State Warriors).

Instead the Nets were able to land one of the predicted top 5 picks in the draft in Stanford Center, and one half of what I like to call the Lopez Locomotive, Brook Lopez. This is an incredible steal for the Nets at the 10th spot in the draft and it looks like Nets General …

The New Jersey Nets didn’t wait around for tonight’s NBA draft to make a big splash.  The team pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade today, acquiring forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Richard Jefferson.

In addition to acquiring the 6th overall pick in last year’s draft in Yi, the Nets save themselves a boatload of money in the swap by unloading the three years and more than $42 million owed Jefferson.

First Kidd, now R.J.  You know if Vince Carter’s contract was tradeable, he’d be on the next bus as well.  It’s pretty clear to me that - like the Knicks - the Nets are positioning themselves to get under the cap by the summer of 2010 when big ticket free agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all hit the open market - just in time for the franchise’s move to Brooklyn.

Here are the answers from yesterday’s quiz.
1. Dave DeBusschere pitched in 36 games for the White Sox in 1962 and ’63. He went 3-4 with a 2.90 ERA.
2. Danny Heep was the first designated hitter for the Mets when he appeared in game three of the 1986 World Series.
3. The Giants played in the Polo Grounds (1925–’55), Yankee Stadium (’56–’73), the Yale Bowl (’73 and ’74), Shea Stadium (’75) and Giants Stadium (’76–present). (They had to play in the Yale Bowl and Shea because Yankee Stadium was being renovated.)
4. The Nets won twice. In 1974 they beat the Utah Stars, and in ’76 they defeated the Denver Nuggets.
5. Mark Messier played for the Indianapolis Racers (’78) and the Cincinnati Stingers (’78–’79). Even though the Edmonton Oilers were part of the WHA, Messier didn’t start playing for …

Here is the first-ever Hot Stove New York sports quiz. See how much you know about New York sports history. The answers will be posted tomorrow. There are no prizes, just the satisfaction of knowing how smart or not-so-smart you really are.
1. Which Knicks player also pitched for the Chicago White Sox?
2. Who was the first-ever designated hitter for the Mets?
3. In their long history, the football Giants have called five different venues home. Name them.
4. How many ABA championships did the Nets win?
5. Which two WHA teams did Mark Messier play for?
6. The Jets played in the first-ever Monday Night Football game on September 21, 1970. Who did they play?
7. Who was the manager for the Dodgers when they won their only World Series in Brooklyn?
8. The Islanders chose goalie Gerry Desjardins with their first pick in the 1972 expansion draft. What other goalie did they select in that …

In what should be a top heavy but a very deep and talented NBA draft next week , the following is how I see the top 10 shaking out come next Thursday.
1. Chicago Bulls - Everyone says what a great spot that the Bulls are in having the option of selecting Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. However, on what already is a very talented and young team, this single decision could make or break the direction that this franchise will head. While I believe that the Bulls cannot go wrong with this selection as both players are immediate impact players, I do feel that it comes down to team needs. It is almost too good to be true that Rose is a hometown kid, the best PG in the draft, and a soft spoken leader. Beasley on the other hand, is a total freak of nature, however many experts question his work ethic and leadership capabilities. While all signs and NBA experts predict the Bulls will take Rose, Beasley fits the Bulls biggest need in a low post scorer. Having PG Kirk Hinrich already on the team, drafting Rose simply would not make …

There have been many rumors floating around East Rutherford, New Jersey about another Small Forward that likes to run and shoot, making his way to the Garden State. While this may sound very appealing to New Jersey Nets fans, it is not the answer to overtaking the NBA Finals bound Boston Celtics in the upcoming years. With the acquisitions from the Jason Kidd trade, the Nets have 2 first round picks, including a lottery pick, that they can use to start building for an immediate future. This roster does not lack in talent but it lacks in fundamental basketball, which as the San Antonio Spurs have shown us, wins Championships.

With 2 franchise point guards in Marcus Williams (who the Nets drafted in 2006), and Devin Harris, they have no need to think draft or free agency at this time. Vince Carter, the enigma that he has always been, is the starting shooting guard but with no real backup, he isn’t able to play 45 minutes a night like he used to. Also, as the years grow on him, so does his lax mindset and his willingness to settle for a fade-away jump shot. By trading for Carmelo Anthony, the Nets gain another jump shooter who …

It’s tough for New Yorkers to think about hoops at this time of year. After all, the season ended for the Knicks and Nets months ago, and baseball mania has once again swept over the city - a sign of summer just around the corner.

Nevertheless, today is a significant day for both N.Y. locals, as the NBA will hold its draft lottery tonight to determine the order of the June 26th draft. And while the Knicks have stolen the majority of headlines recently (first with the hiring of Donnie Walsh and the dismissal of Isiah Thomas, then with the hiring of coach Mike D’Antoni), the Nets may be the team poised to make the bigger splash, if a report in the New York Post is to be believed.

According to the Post, Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe is wasting no time remodeling his roster, and he’s turning to some familiar faces in the process. League sources have indicated that the Denver Nuggets have made Carmelo Anthony available - for the right price - and the Nets hope that a favorable bounce of the lottery balls this evening could grant them an important chip …

Good morning to all, here’s some of my thoughts on a few topics going on in the New York sports scene.

Yankees streaky play

The Yanks are 19-19 after 38 games. It’s amazing to see how this team goes into spurts of winning three, losing three, winning two, losing two. This has been a result of the inconsistent production by the back end of the rotation and the offense. No Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to go along with sub .200 hitting from Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano can be best to blame for the .500 play. Cano seems to be coming out of his funk as he quietly has a six-game hitting streak, he plays a big part of the lineup if he’s able to get it going.

Darrell Rasner had another good outing yesterday and provided the Yanks with a win. He has accomplished more in his two starts than Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Kei Igawa have combined. He has two wins, the other three…zero. Keep the guy in the rotation as he seems to have the tools to stay with the big club for awhile. It’s very important if he can prove to be a reliable starter. Not …

Fellow hoops fans, we’re in a state of mourning. Lets face it, both of our area teams are horrible. The Nets are rebuilding with what would be the equivalent of rotten wood and the Knicks…urrggh (beating my head against a brick wall).  So, instead of going into a deeper state of depression, let me get a couple things of my chest.

1) Kidd didn’t quit on Nets; he quit on Vince

Before last Saturday’s game against the Nets, the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd denied accusations that he had quit on his former team.  Kidd told Daily News reporter Ohm Youngmisuk that he had taken the franchise as far as he could and that his alleged protest before last season’s playoff loss to Cleveland was unfounded.

“I didn’t quit on the team,” said Kidd, who will face his old team on Saturday in Dallas. “The ride was over. At the end of the day, I gave everything that I could give to the Nets. There were no more rabbits that I could pull out of the hat. There were no more rabbits that Rod (Thorn) could pull out of a hat. That is as far as they could go. I took them as …

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The New Jersey Nets waived former all-star center, Jamaal Magloire, Friday. 

Magloire signed with the club in July, as a free agent; however, he averaged a meager 1.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24 games with the team.

The eight-year veteran was a 2004 All-Star selection and has averaged 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in stops which include: Charlotte/New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Portland.

Magloire is expected to join ex-Net Jason Kidd down in Texas, as the Mavericks have expressed interest in signing the former all-star, according to the Dallas Morning News.

updated @ 2:51…
It’s official. The deal is done, according to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. J-Kidd is a Mav. The details, via ESPN:

Kidd, forward Malik Allen and swingman Antoine Wright sent to Dallas for 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop, swingman Trenton Hassell, guard Maurice Ager, Van Horn via sign-and-trade, first-round draft picks this June and in 2010 and $3 million in cash. The teams originally planned to move Wright to Dallas in a separate transaction but were able to make the salary-cap math work in a single trade after the deal was reconfigured over the weekend.

Now for an in-depth analysis of how KVH might fit into New Jersey’s revamped offense. Just kidding.
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Keith Van Horn might have made more fans in New Jersey and Dallas today than he did during his entire playing career. The 32-year-old’s decision to come out of quasi-retirement (and collect a hefty $4.3 million for doing so) in order to bail out two of his former teams was considered the final hurdle in what has evolved into a week-long public negotiation. The only thing standing in the way of Jason Kidd’s exodus from the Nets now is the league …